Today, I was sitting at work minding my own business when I saw a tweet from a local news agency:

“BREAKING: Several people have been injured in a head-on crash involving two TTC buses at Wilson Avenue and Wilson Heights Boulevard.”

Right afterward, as I mused whether or not to go check out the scene because it was 2 minutes from me my friend ReTweeted a tweet by a woman who is a “[news agency name removed] Senior Assignment Editor, overnight news anchor, sometimes reporter” (taken from her Twitter bio) that read:

So I figured what the heck I would head over there and take some pictures with my trusty BlackBerry Torch 9800 and ideally they would be on the local news agency’s TV channel and almost definitely (so I thought) on their Twitter feed which would be really cool.

The local news agency did indeed use one of my pictures in their story when the news was still fresh. Now, however, my picture is no longer there replaced by a video of Toronto Police Traffic Services Constable Hugh Smith and the scene.

Via Flickr:
Two buses crashed head on at TTC Wilson Station on May 13, 2011.
I was on Twitter and CP24 asked if anyone was in the area and could take pictures of it…I was a 2 minute drive away so I hopped in my car and went over there and here are the pictures.

My own addition to the above:
These are the pictures which were also picked up by CP24, CTV Toronto, CBC Toronto, and the National Post.

In yesterday’s post ,”Blogging On A Budget: The Unglamorous Part – Getting Stock Images & Photos”, I talked about trying to blog on a budget and getting stock imagery. I mentioned how learning what the rights are to use images from Flickr or elsewhere on the web and knowing how to abide by the Creative Commons Licenses can be tedious. I also mentioned how knowing exactly the right thing to do in terms of correctly using the images takes way more effort than I am willing to put in when I have to post something that day for the Post-A-Day 2011 Challenge and it is 11:30pm. I still don’t even know which of the licenses to choose from the Creative Commons Licenses available on the flickr but I guess I will have to read through the FAQ they give for choosing at some point. The pictures I have thus far posted are available on my flickr stream at http://www.flickr.com/photos/danlevy/ but until I get the whole license thing worked out don’t worry – I got some pics for you right here!

So ya, this isn’t going to be a wordy post at all but I hope I make up for it in the value these photos gain for you should you ever need them. They are mundane, I know, but they are or could be useful to you at some point and then you’ll know where you can grab them. I am always open to suggestions of pictures I should take around Toronto, just let me know.

Still dunno which one to choose.

Cell Phone (Parking) Lot Sign at Toronto’s Pearson Airport (YYZ)

Bilingual Stop Sign in Toronto’s Downsview Park

Toronto TTC Bus Transfer

Stop Sign day photo Toronto, Downsview

Subway train entering TTC Osgoode Station, April 7, 2011 in Toronto.

TTC Streetcar at the corner of Queen West & University looking east in Toronto

Osgoode Station TTC Toronto South West Corner of Queen West & University

TTC Subway Car inside

Bell Pay Phone one with text messaging at Toronto’s TTC Wilson Subway Station

You may have noticed I will often use Google MapsStreet View for pictures of things around the city of Toronto or even in other cities (Las Vegas, for example comes to mind). I use the images because I simply do not have pictures that I myself have taken and I do not want to take another blogger or website’s pictures without permission. For some reason, to me, it feels OK to use Google Maps’ images even if I don’t have their permission just because they are Google. Don’t ask me to explain that, I am aware of the contradiction.

Of course I can use certain images and just give people credit as part of the Fair Use policies of Copyright Law and I was linked an article at one point which I read and cannot find at the moment about how to identify what the rights are to use images from Flickr and all about the Creative Commons Licenses. But that takes way more effort than I am willing to put in when I have to post something that day for the Post-A-Day 2011 Challenge and it is 11:30pm (which happens too often and I totally need to work on that!).

Therefore, today’s blog post is devoid of pictures, yes, but it is only because it is a quick post to tell you what I am about to go out and do. I am going to drive around Toronto looking for images I think I may need at some point in the future…or even needed and ‘borrowed’ from Google Maps Street View and keep them as stock photos which I can use however and whenever I please without needing to give credit or link back to anyone or worry about licenses.